In the wake of the genocidal bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza by the Israeli occupying forces and violence across historic Palestine, Palestinian trade unions issued a call to workers across the globe. They asked for a shutdown of sections of the arms industry involved in sending weapons to Israel. Inspired by previous worker struggles that prevented the shipment of arms to Chile during Augusto Pinochet’s coup and South Africa during apartheid, we have heeded the call from our comrades in Palestine.

Early yesterday morning, Workers for a Free Palestine, a network of trade unionists active in major British trade unions that formed in response to the call from Palestinian trade unionists, blockaded an arms factory run by BAE Systems in Rochester, England. A steady stream of components for military aircraft used by the Israeli occupation force in Gaza leaves the Rochester site, where BAE Systems produces interceptor systems for F35 fighter jets and components for F16 fighter jets.

We blocked all traffic to and from the site.